Final Decision
by kenpogirl
Summary: Nathalia has a decision to make once and for all. What will she decide to do? One-shot.


**DISCLAIMER : **Don't own the show or the characters. Just having fun with them. No copyright infringement intended.

**BACKGROUND : **This story takes place right after Olivia leaves to visit Ava and Emma is staying with Nathalia.

**FINAL DECISION**

It is early evening at the farmhouse and Nathalia is in the kitchen cooking when she hears a knock. Mumbling grouchily to herself, she puts down the knife she's using to chop vegetables, grabs a napkin, wipes her hands, and walks to the door. She opens it to find Frank standing there. She rolls her eyes and sighs in aggravation.

NATHALIA (wearily) : "Hi, Frank. How are you?"

FRANK (nervously) : "I'm ok. Just thought I'd stop by and say hi, see how you're doing, since we haven't talked in a while."

NATHALIA (frustrated) : "I'm fine, Frank."

An awkward silence envelopes them for a moment and Frank shifts his weight from one foot to the other while Nathalia glances around the room wondering what would be the most polite way to get rid of this unwelcome guest. Finally, Frank breaks the silence.

FRANK : "Wow. Do I smell your special coffee brewing?"

NATHALIA (unwillingly) : "Y-yeah. Do you… want… a cup?"

FRANK (smiling, stepping inside) : "I sure would. Thanks."

NATHALIA (forcing a fake smile) : "Great. Have a seat. I'll be right back."

Ten minutes later, Nathalia and Frank are sitting on the couch while Frank takes his time sipping his coffee.

FRANK : "Nobody makes coffee like you, Nathalia. I've really missed your coffee."

NATHALIA (keeping up a fake grin) : " That's sweet, Frank. Thanks."

FRANK : "I've missed more than your coffee, Nat. I've missed _you_."

NATHALIA (finally dropping the pretense of being pleasant and polite, sighing wearily as her expression changes to exasperation) : "Frank…"

At that very moment, Olivia arrives at the front door of the farmhouse, nervous, but happy. _She wanted me to come home. That's got to be a good thing, right?, _she thinks to herself. She opens the door to find the scene between Frank and Nathalia unfolding. She stops dead in her tracks.

FRANK (scooting closer to Nathalia and putting his arm on the back of the couch behind Nathalia) : "Nathalia, it's not too late for us. We can still make it work…"

Olivia's face falls as she hears Frank's part of the conversation. Nathalia spots Olivia over Frank's shoulder. A huge smile spreads across the Latina's face. She leaps to her feet and dashes over to Olivia, leaving Frank mid-sentence, scowling.

NATHALIA (throwing her arms around Olivia's shoulders to embrace her) : "Hey! I'm so happy you're back! I missed you so much."

Olivia remains stiff and does not return Nathalia's embrace. Instead she firmly pulls Nathalia's arms off of her shoulders.

OLIVIA (glaring icily, voice cold) : "Where's my daughter?"

NATHALIA (realizing that Frank's presence has upset Olivia, wanting to reassure her) : "_Our_ daughter is upstairs, but, Liv…"

OLIVIA (not waiting for Nathalia to finish, calling up the stairs) : "EMMA!!"

NATHALIA : "Olivia, please, listen to me."

Emma comes bounding down the stairs and runs straight into Olivia's arms.

EMMA (happily, excitedly) : "Mommy!! I missed you so much!"

OLIVIA (smiling at Emma, hugging her tightly and kissing her) : "I missed you, too, baby, but listen, Nathalia has company over, so we better go now, ok?"

EMMA (looking over at Frank, frowning, confused, then turning back to Olivia) : "But Mommy, I don't want to go. I want us both to stay here." (whispering) "We belong here, not Frank. Why doesn't he leave?"

OLIVIA (speaking in a low voice, sternly) : "Emma, that's not very polite."

NATHALIA (touching OIivia's arm) : "Liv, please don't go."

OLIVIA (throwing Nathalia a meaningful, angry look over Emma's head) : "You're obviously busy so we'll get out of your way."

NATHALIA : "Olivia…"

OLIVIA (turning to Emma, forcing a smile, taking the little girl's hand) : "Come on, Jellybean."

Emma is crestfallen and her eyes become moist as her mother starts to lead her away.

NATHALIA (blocking the door, pleadingly) : "Olivia, she doesn't want to go and I don't want either of you to go. Please stay."

OLIVIA (angrily) : "You don't need us here. We're in the way."

FRANK (bitterly) : "That's right, Nathalia. They're in our way."

Nathalia's head whirls around to face Frank. At first her expression is disbelief, but an instant later it becomes a death stare towards Frank as she makes a great effort to remain in control, despite her growing anger.

NATHALIA (never releasing Frank from her death-glare, stepping between Olivia and Emma and prodding Emma in the direction of the stairs) : "Em, baby, go back upstairs and watch tv, please. Your other mother and I will be there in a minute."

Emma's expression changes back to exuberance as she quickly slides her hand out of Olivia's before Olivia can stop her, and practically skips all the way up the stairs in her joy. Upon hearing the bedroom door close upstairs, Nathalia storms towards Frank.

NATHALIA (in a low, angry growl through clenched teeth, staring furiously at the uninvited guest) : "Frank, I swear to God, if you ever speak about my family that way again, I'll make you wish you were dead! _Do you understand me_?"

OLIVIA (taking a step towards the stairs, resigned) : "I'm going to get Emma. We're leaving."

NATHALIA (blocking Olivia's path and putting a hand on Olivia's arm, voice stern): "No, you're not. This is about you, too, and you're staying." (turning back to Frank, angrily) "Look, I know that I've made some major mistakes here that have hurt a lot of people and I take full responsibility for that, but I have been punished enough and I'm not taking this anymore! I've apologized ad nauseum and I'm _finished _apologizing now. At this point, you either do accept my apology or you don't, and frankly I no longer care, but you _WILL_ accept that it _IS _over between you and me and you _WILL_ accept that there's no chance for reconciliation…ever…" (Nathalia pauses momentarily, giving Frank time to process the information) "_and_ you _will_ stop harassing me if you know what's good for you." (exasperated) "_I don't love you and I don't want to be with you, Frank_." (going back to Olivia and slipping her arms around the older woman, still speaking to Frank, but looking into Olivia's eyes, voice pleading) "I love Olivia, I want to be with her, and I'm **going **to be with her… if she'll still have me." (turning back to Frank, angry once again) "Does that compute in that tiny brain of yours?"

A flabbergasted Frank finds himself speechless at Nathalia's tirade. Mouth agape, he can do nothing more than make incoherent, nonsensical sounds as he attempts, and fails, to respond.

NATHALIA (with finality) : "Now please leave and don't come back."

Frank, utterly confused and defeated, gets to his feet and walks out the door without a word. Olivia looks at Nathalia with confusion written all over face.

OLIVIA (speaking in a hushed tone, disbelieving) : "What was that?"

NATHALIA (whispering, keeping her arms around Olivia) : "Just what I said. I've already apologized for my mistakes, like hurting Frank and the Coopers, and I'm not apologizing anymore. I still believe that I did the right thing by not marrying him because I don't love him." (giving Olivia a soft kiss on the cheek, holding her closer, whispering in her ear) "I love _you_ and I know it's taking me a while to get comfortable with it, but I will never be sorry for the way I feel about you."

OLIVIA (fearfully) "Are you sure?"

NATHALIA (leaning back to give Olivia a smile bright enough to light up the heavens as she gently brushes a stray lock out of Olivia's green eyes) : "Yes, sweetheart. I'm sure."

Slowly, gently, Nathalia leans in to press her lips softly to Olivia's, nuzzle her nose, and rest her forehead against the taller woman's.

NATHALIA (eyes closed, whispering, still pressing her forehead to Olivia's, sighing) : "I really, really missed you, baby."

Olivia and Nathalia hug each other tightly and shift to press their bodies as closely as possible.

OLIVIA (eyes moist) : "I missed you, too, baby. When I walked in here and saw Frank sitting there with his arm around you…"

NATHALIA (gently placing a finger over Olivia's lips) : "Shhh. Frank means nothing to me, sweetheart. I promise you, ok? I made him leave because I don't want him here. I want you."

OLIVIA (green eyes now brimming with tears, sighing with relief) : "Ok."

NATHALIA : "Ok." (rubbing Olivia's back soothingly, searching here eyes, whispering) "Can I have another kiss?"

Both women lean in for another soft, gentle, kiss. It is sweet and unhurried and both women revel in it, both of their heads swimming. A minute later, they break, both gasping for air, both afraid that their hearts will pound right out of their chests. After catching their breaths, Nathalia finally breaks the silence.

NATHALIA : "You realize we need to go talk to our daughter now."

OLIVIA (nervously) : "Yeah. Ok. Let's go before I lose my nerve."

Nathalia giggles as she takes Olivia's hand and leads the older woman up the stairs. They knock on Emma's door and find the child sitting on the bed with the tv on, but she's clearly not watching it. She smirks as her two mothers approach her. Nathalia sits on Emma's bed while Olivia stands behind the Latina, keeping her hands on the younger woman's shoulders.

NATHALIA : "Hey, princess. We need to talk to you a minute, ok?"

EMMA : "Ok."

NATHALIA : "You're probably wondering what the whole deal with Frank was a minute ago, right?"

EMMA (thoughtfully) : "Ummm, not really."

OLIVIA (confused) : "You're not?"

EMMA : "No, I think I get it." (to Nathalia) "You didn't marry Frank and you don't want him here because you don't love him. You love Mommy."

NATHALIA (reaching up and covering Olivia's hand with her own) : "That's right, honey. Do you understand what that means? It may be a little confusing, but I was going to marry Frank because I thought I loved him like that, but I realize now that I'm not _in_ love with him. I'm in love with your mommy. Your mommy and I are in love with each other. I know this is all pretty weird, and not everybody will understand it, but that's the way it is, kiddo, ok? We'll need to keep talking about this from time to time as things come up, but this is the way it's going to be. You allright with that?"

EMMA (rolling her eyes with a I'm-not-that-dense expression) : "Of course. We're a family. We're supposed to be together."

OLIVIA (smiling happily, leaning into Nathalia and putting her arms around Nathalia's shoulders from behind) : "That's right, baby." (kissing Nathalia's cheek) "We're a family and we're staying together."

NATHALIA: (holding Olivia's arm in place around her) : "Well, that's it. That's what we wanted to tell you. Do you have any questions? Do you want to ask us anything?"

EMMA (closing one eye, tilting her head thoughtfully) : "Just one thing."

NATHALIA : "We're listening."

EMMA : "When are you and mommy getting married?"

The End


End file.
